The present invention relates to an odorizer, freshener, or deodorizer article and a method of making the same and more particularly to a rod-shaped odorizer device provided with a fragrance or aromatic material that is organoleptically sensed by the user and to a method of making the device from a continuous rod in a process similar to making a cigarette filter rod.
It is well known to provide odorizers, air fresheners and sachet-type devices for use in clothes closets, drawers, cabinets and rooms for freshening the air in such spaces and for providing an organoleptically pleasing scent, aroma, or the like. It is also known to place aromatic substances in drawers and closets for use as insect repellents, e.g., moth repellents and the like.
In the cigarette filter making art it is known to inject a liquid flavorant or to deposit a flavor-emitting pellet in the filter tow as the filter is being formed. Apparatus for making such flavor-containing filters are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,905 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/892,082, both assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
It would be desirable to employ known conventional apparatus and methods for mass producing cigarette components such as cigarette filters in the mass production of odorizers, deodorizers or air freshener articles. Moreover, it would be desirable to provide odorizer or air freshener articles which can be easily, conveniently and inexpensively packaged in a manner similar to packaging cigarettes.
The present invention is directed to an odorizer or freshener article or device and a method of making the same. The odorizer or freshener article has a design and construction suitable for manufacture on conventional cigarette making and/or cigarette filter making machinery. The odorizer or freshener article comprises a cigarette filter-type rod substrate made of a fibrous tow or a gathered web, overwrapped with a paper, plastic or foil overwrap and cut to any appropriate length, preferably a length suitable for packaging the product in conventional cigarette packaging machinery. An odorizer, deodorizer, fragrance, aromatic material or other organoleptically pleasing substance is embedded in the fibrous tow or web either by liquid or powder injection or by other equivalent means such as insertion into the tow or web of a breakable capsule made of wax or gelatin. The overwrap may be a substantially porous material, such as paper, so as to permit release of the fragrance from all surfaces of the rod-shaped device. The overwrap may also include a fragrance or odorizer. The fibrous or gathered web and/or overwrap material may be dyed or colored in some way to reflect the fragrance or odorizer used. For example: yellow for lemon. On the other hand, if a slower release of the fragrance is desired, the overwrap may be a substantially impervious sheet material, such as a polymeric film, a paper/foil laminate, a paper/foil/paper laminate or a metal foil, so that the fragrance is released only from the tow or web and only at the ends of the device. The polymeric film may also have a metal foil laminated thereto or have a metal layer deposited thereon as by vapor deposition or the like. The fragrance release rate may be further controlled by perforation of any of the foregoing overwraps. The overwrap may be a textured sheet material or may be printed with an ornamental design or other indicia directly on the paper, foil or on the deposited metal surface. A second wrap may be used with an ornamental design for visual enhancement of the device.
The fragrance, odorizer or aromatic material may be selected from any number of known artificial and natural materials or oils, such as, for example, peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, menthol, cinnamon, vanillin, potpourri and the like. The material may be a moth repellent, such as naphthalene, or any other fragrance-emitting or aromatic material.
In one embodiment of the invention, a gathered web of a polymeric material, such as a polypropylene web, or a filamentary tow material, such as a cellulose acetate, polyester, polypropylene or rayon tow, is formed into a continuous rod on a conventional filter making machine and a fragrance in a liquid or powder form is injected continuously or intermittently into the web or tow at the garniture or bustle of the filter making apparatus prior to overwrapping the rod. The rod is then overwrapped with a porous or impervious sheet material and is then cut into individual rods of appropriate length which may be packaged like cigarettes in conventional cigarette packaging machinery.
In another embodiment of the invention, a breakable wax or gelatin capsule containing a liquid fragrance may be embedded in the rod material of each odorizer or freshener article. When fragrance delivery is desired, the consumer simply squeezes the device at the location of the capsule to break it and release the fragrance into the surrounding rod material.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the filamentary tow, gathered web or the overwrap sheet material may include an anti-static additive as well as a fragrance for use in a clothes dryer to impart a fresh scent to clothing being dried and to minimize static electricity in the clothing resulting from the drying process.
Advantageously, the present invention makes it possible to modify and use conventional cigarette making and cigarette filter making processes and apparatus to mass produce at low cost an odorizer or freshener article.
With the foregoing and other objectives, features and advantages of the invention that will become hereinafter apparent, the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention , the appended claims and the several views illustrated in the drawings attached hereto.